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The Impact Of "Exceptional" Statutes On Civil Litigation In Minnesota, Michael K. Steenson
The Impact Of "Exceptional" Statutes On Civil Litigation In Minnesota, Michael K. Steenson
Faculty Scholarship
This article examines the treatment of “exceptional” statutes--statutes intended to protect a specific class of persons against their own inability to protect themselves--by the Minnesota appellate courts. After an analysis of the origins of the negligence per se doctrine in Minnesota, the article briefly examines the relationship between negligence per se and common law negligence. Then, following a brief historical background discussion of earlier cases involving exceptional statutes, the article focuses on individual cases in which the exceptional statutes are implicated. The goal of the article is to determine whether the law the supreme court developed has been consistently adhered …
Products Liability Law In Minnesota: Design Defect And Failure To Warn Claims, Michael K. Steenson
Products Liability Law In Minnesota: Design Defect And Failure To Warn Claims, Michael K. Steenson
Faculty Scholarship
The Minnesota law of products liability underwent significant changes in the 1980s. The courts filled in gaps left open since the Minnesota Supreme Court initially adopted strict liability in McCormack v. Hankscraft Co.' in 1967, but they also raised new issues and left other issues open. This Article analyzes these developments in Minnesota products liability law. The broad focus is on standards in design and warning cases. In the course of the analysis, the Article focuses on the issues that had been left unsettled in Minnesota law in those areas. The Article first addresses the elements of a strict liability …
The Anatomy Of Products Liability In Minnesota: The Theories Of Recovery, Michael K. Steenson
The Anatomy Of Products Liability In Minnesota: The Theories Of Recovery, Michael K. Steenson
Faculty Scholarship
The law of products Iiability has undergone a dramatic evolution since MacPherson v. Buick Motor Co. As a result of this rapid development, substantial uncertainty as to the scope of liability of product manufacturers and sellers exists. The purpose of this Article is to eliminate some of that confusion. After tracing the history and development of the law of products liability in Minnesota, the author discusses the various elements and standards of strict Iiability. Finally, the author proposes several jury instructions that help clarify the relationship between strict liability and negligence. Throughout the Article, Minnesota is used as a model …
The Anatomy Of Products Liability In Minnesota: Principles Of Loss Allocation, Michael K. Steenson
The Anatomy Of Products Liability In Minnesota: Principles Of Loss Allocation, Michael K. Steenson
Faculty Scholarship
In this article, Professor Steenson continues the discussion that began in The Anatomy of Products Liability in Minnesota: The Theories of Recovery, appearing in the last Issue of the William Mitchell Law Review, by shifting the analytical focus to the problems involved in allocating awards among the parties in Minnesota products liability cases. Professor Steenson analyzes defenses, contribution and indemnity, and the impact of Minnesota's comparative fault act on products liability law.